Enigma Uncensored

This week, we're in for a bit of a change in content. As most of you know, I'm having a procedure on my back this Friday. This procedure does require me to be under anesthesia. Last week, I got a call from the hospital, for my "Pre Admission Screening". It seems I cannot take Wegovy the week before the surgery since Wegovy slows down digestion so much. They're afraid I'll still have food in my stomach which could cause issues with anesthesia, and have asked me to withhold my dose until Friday. I usually take it Tuesday. I don't have a lot to report, yet. I haven't noticed a difference in my appetites or cravings. Truth be told, Wegovy is the type of thing that you can always take it at any time that day. It doesn't need to be taken at the same time every week. Technically, it hasn't even been a day without it. I feel like this will be a fascinating experiment for me, to see what changes I experience in the coming days, if any. I will write abou...

 I don't have a lot to report. Life on Wegovy has become routine, and I feel as though I'm saying the same kinds of things over and over. That said, there is about to be a change in the household. Nick, my partner, was just prescribed Ozempic through the VA. Yes, people, even the Veteran's Administration prescribes this stuff depending on the case, obviously. Nick is a Marine (Marines never retire hooyah) veteran of the Gulf War. He's diabetic, so he was prescribed Ozempic over Wegovy. (As we discussed last week, they're the same medication.) He and I discussed my journey more in depth. I gave him all my warnings. Drink more water than ever before, eat slow, avoid high fat, high sugar foods, etc. To be clear, I cook for the house, and I make his lunch for work every day. He has, by my diet plan, been following a diabetic's diet. But, Nick has his own mind and this thing called purchasing power and a vehicle. Trust, he hasn't even made an attempt...

 I took my 12th injection of Wegovy yesterday. For those unaware of what Wegovy is, it's also known as Ozempic and is a GLP1 agonist. Originally developed for diabetes, doctors noticed weight loss and appetite suppression as a side effect. Then, off label use of Ozempic began. Since so many were using Ozempic for off label, the supply for diabetes patients was being threatened. Therefore, the company decided to start Wegovy to protect the Ozempic supply. They are the same medication, made by the same company, just one is prescribed if you have diabetes and the other for weight loss. This way, diabetic patients would never have to go without their medication. One thing I want to talk about this week boils down to the fact that I've noticed since losing twenty five pounds, people treat me better. Strangers. My friends are the same loveable assholes they've always been. Cashiers look me in the eye now. When I'm walking in the store, people acknowledge my existence...

All right all right all right Yesterday, I took my 11th injection of Wegovy.   On June 14th, I saw my doctor for my second weigh in. In ten weeks of taking Wegovy, I lost a total of 25 lbs. She and I are pleased.  As promised, here are my before pics Yes I know there’s a stain on the shirt. Let’s all move on. 😂 Now, before we get to progress pics, I decided to take pics of everything I ate Monday, so you can have an idea of my diet.  I typically wake around 6am when the cats decide they want to be fed and can’t wait a second longer. One of them will climb on me and “make biscuits”. Never fails.  I do strength training four days a week for forty five minutes: Before I go to the gym, I have a protein shake. I still drink this if it’s not gym day, btw. ;) Around 9a, I have a smoothie made of nonfat Greek yogurt, kale, spinach, peas, flax seed, chia seed, hemp seed, papaya, passion fruit, blueberries and mulberries Lunch is around 1130a and was a salad made with chicken...

Yesterday, I took my tenth shot of Wegovy for weight loss. As a reminder, I'm fortunate in that my insurance was willing to cover this medication because of my dual diagnosis of heart disease and obesity. I am also lucky that the medication worked for me from the start, at the lowest/starting dose. My doctor and I agree as long as I'm feeling the effects, there really is no reason to raise the dose beyond the starter/lowest dose of 0.25mg. I continue to feel the same appetite suppressant effects as well as relief from "food noise". The colloquial term refers to obsessive or intrusive thoughts about food, which can affect people's everyday lives. While I still have cravings, they're for things like blackberries and tomatoes rather than snack cakes and cookies. Cravings I'm happy to indulge, rather than worry about the effect on my long term health. With that said, this has not been "easy". I want to dispel any thoughts one may have that y...

 I began taking Wegovy for weight loss nine weeks ago. At my first weigh in, I lost seventeen pounds. That was almost four weeks ago. My next weigh in is June 14th. We will see then what the scales say, but I know I'm smaller. ;) I've continued eating a low fat, low calorie mostly whole food diet. I will repeat this at nauseum, if I have to, I don't have the will, cravings, or even thought of eating what anyone would consider unhealthy food. I have no gall bladder, lost it back when I was in my twenties, after a horrible pregnancy where it needed to be removed but they couldn't because I was pregnant. Less than a month after having a c section, they removed my gall bladder. The gall bladder's function is to store and release bile when you need it. Bile is used to break down fat. This all relates, I'm getting to it, stick with me. ;) Mind you, I (and everyone else who doesn't have a gallbladder) still get bile released in kind of a steady st...

 In an effort to keep this series "fresh" and not always be talking about the same things every time, this week I'm going to discuss the changes in my body I've noticed since day 1. Suffice it to say, I'm still on low calorie-low fat, mostly whole food diet and continue to work out four times a week. I have lowered my work out schedule to four because my fall made me realize I was pushing myself too hard. I continue to have unhealed injuries, and need things like knee replacement, one back procedure, then another one (and we still don't know if they'll work). Pushing myself will not heal these things and could make things much worse. Overall, I'm smaller. My face, in particular, it's quite noticeable to me. Or, maybe I can't stop looking at myself and laughing at my scraped up nose (courtesy of my fall), and I'm overanalyzing. My thighs are a whole lot smaller. I went to go put in my injection today, and I surprised my damn sel...

This is for my Blogger Readers: This experience I've gone through these last few months, I do mean ALL of it, has changed my life and perspective. I encountered a crossroads and forged a whole new path forward, and you supported me along the way. So to all of you who supported me with your kindness, words of encouragement, and grace these last few months:  Thank you.  Truly.  Joy, JN, Smarty, Odds, Bbuckwwheat, Bow, Bloom, Goddess, and Curious. You are incredible people and deserve more than just my gratitude. Now, onto our regularly scheduled programming: I don't know why I keep needing to do a spiel at the beginning of these anymore. They're super repetitive, don't you think? TLDR: Been on Wegovy for seven weeks due to health issues. If you want to know more, I suggest you read the previous entries. :) All you have to do is click on the Wegovy link at the bottom of this post.  For those who ...

Diet and Lifestyle Changes  I took my sixth shot of Wegovy yesterday. As most of my close friends already know, I lost seventeen pounds in my first month on Wegovy. To be clear, I’ve been made very aware that this is not typical. But let’s be fair, rarely anything about me ever is. 😂 All the “experts” say “Go slow, don’t make too many changes at once.” I dove in headfirst and changed everything about my diet and sedentary lifestyle. It’s been work, but work made easier by taking Wegovy. It’s not like I’m taking it, eating all the same things, and expecting results. That said, not everyone experiences the same amount of relief from appetite and cravings on the lowest dose. I literally started noticing the very first day I took the shot. I am fortunate in that it was almost instant. Remember, individual results may vary, and consult a healthcare professional before changing your diet and lifestyle, as I did. For clarity, I ate high fat, calorie dense food before taking Wegovy. Bakin...

I am taking Wegovy (Ozempic) for weight loss as an obese person with heart disease. My insurance covers it under those conditions, your insurance may vary. As reminders: I grow most of my own produce organically in nutrient dense soil. Maintaining this has made changing my lifestyle simpler and cheaper. I live in a two person household. My partner, Nick, is not dieting. I cook for both of us. He, mainly, eats what I eat with extra stuff like bread and pasta except more. IE: I defrost one pound of ground turkey to make tacos. 3/4 of that will go to Nick. 1/4 will go to me where I will add lentils and quinoa as well as more taco seasoning, then eat it in taco salad for days. Due to an unhealthy relationship with dieting and food throughout my life, I'm only weighing in at the Doctor's when I see her once a month and not counting calories. My interest lies in getting healthy, no number on a scale can define health. That said, I am curious. I'd be lying if...

 I was prescribed Wegovy (Ozempic) for weight loss three weeks ago. I took my fourth shot yesterday. This is about healing my relationship with food and living a healthier and longer life having lived with heart disease for almost four years and obesity for half of my adult life. Last dose of this box with injector pen cap off I've read the literature and done much independent research into Wegovy and what it is and does. It's a peptide we create in our bodies that helps control cravings and appetite. Inside injector pen with cap off. As you can see, the sides are spring-loaded. That gray part plunges down releasing the little needle. This is an under-the-skin injection, it doesn't go deep and I have yet to see blood after an injection.  The spring locks after injection are dispensed and taken away, so there are no accidental jabs. I have made it a point in my notes to tell my doctor when I see her on the 9th for check-in/weigh-in that I want to stay on t...

Wegovy. For those unaware, Wegovy is also known as Ozempic. It's a diabetes medication that has been found in studies  to reduce future heart events by 20% and acts as an appetite suppressant. Insurance companies in the US have begun covering Wegovy for use as a weight loss drug. My insurance company announced they would start covering it for those with both heart disease and obesity, and I started looking into it. Wegovy acts on areas of the brain which are involved in regulating your appetite. It increases feelings of fullness, reduces feelings of hunger and reduces the preference for high-fat foods. It also reduces blood sugar by promoting the release of insulin when blood sugar levels are high. I'll be honest with you all, I have struggled with this decision. It's not been an easy one. I have a complicated history with diet culture wrapped up in complex feelings about my mother. One of my biggest joys in life is baking, and then eating what I've baked. But I also kn...